I am a proud, lifelong Democrat, who grew up in Walnut Creek (CA) when it felt like a small town. I entered UCSB as an English major, but while there discovered Philosophy, so changed majors and transferred to UC Berkeley. After graduation, I continued my education at Northwestern University, where I studied and taught for five years. My graduate studies focused on epistemology (the theory of knowledge) and American Pragmatism (especially the work of John Dewey).

I largely put myself through college, benefiting from the Pell grant, and working in the restaurant industry for small, locally owned franchise operations. It was during that time that I had my first experience with leadership, becoming an award-winning store manager for Domino’s Pizza.

After Graduate School, my wife, Karen Nierlich, and I returned to the Bay Area. My brothers both live in the area, as does my wife’s brother and sister. My brother Dan lived in University Village while a student at Cal, then moved to a house in Albany when he graduated. I began working for the US Environmental Protection Agency (Region 5) in Chicago after leaving Graduate School, and continued that work remotely for several years after returning to the Bay Area. As my business grew, I also became the HTML technician for the website for the VTA (Silicon Valley Transportation Authority), in particular focusing on making their website accessible to the blind.

Those clients moved their web departments internal around 2001, and I began to expand my business to small and one-person businesses. Through my business-to-business company and my extensive business networking, I have spoken to literally hundreds of small business owners and learned what they need to be successful.

My family moved to Albany in 2003 when my daughter, Portia, was just 4, and my son, Calder, was 2. Not long after moving here, I joined the Albany Chamber of Commerce and by 2006 I was on the Board of Directors. I was first elected President of the Board in 2008 and have served in that role on and off since then. On behalf of the Chamber, I worked closely with City staff on many projects and events, earning their respect as a resourceful, thoughtful partner. As I became more involved with the Chamber and goings-on in the City, I became more and more interested in local politics and began to see that it is often difficult to bring people together over common ground, but that this is the most important thing for projects to be successful.

My blessing and curse comes from my ability to understand and empathize with all sides of an argument. This can make it a challenge to come to a decision, but it allows me to relate to each side of an issue and help them draw together to compromise. At the same time, I understand that not all situations are going to end in a way that satisfies everyone and that sometimes it is necessary for a leader to simply make a call and accept responsibility for the consequences.

My goal for the Council is for it to be a body that brings people together more than it divides, a body that listens to and considers all sides, but is not afraid to make a decision when the time comes. My goal for Albany is to help it maintain and enrich its small town character and improve the quality of life for everyone by developing a healthier small business community, and steering a clear course to achieve the City’s environmental goals.